Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Construction Administration, Custom Millwork & Furniture Design by Chango & Co. Photography by Jacob Snavely
Inspiration for an expansive transitional fully buried basement in New York with grey walls, dark hardwood floors and a ribbon fireplace.

Photo of a contemporary fully buried basement in DC Metro with grey walls, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

This 1933 Wauwatosa basement was dark, dingy and lacked functionality. The basement was unfinished with concrete walls and floors. A small office was enclosed but the rest of the space was open and cluttered. The homeowners wanted a warm, organized space for their family. A recent job change meant they needed a dedicated home office. They also wanted a place where their kids could hang out with friends. Their wish list for this basement remodel included: a home office where the couple could both work, a full bathroom, a cozy living room and a dedicated storage room. This basement renovation resulted in a warm and bright space that is used by the whole family. Highlights of this basement: - Home Office: A new office gives the couple a dedicated space for work. There’s plenty of desk space, storage cabinets, under-shelf lighting and storage for their home library. - Living Room: An old office area was expanded into a cozy living room. It’s the perfect place for their kids to hang out when they host friends and family. - Laundry Room: The new laundry room is a total upgrade. It now includes fun laminate flooring, storage cabinets and counter space for folding laundry. - Full Bathroom: A new bathroom gives the family an additional shower in the home. Highlights of the bathroom include a navy vanity, quartz counters, brass finishes, a Dreamline shower door and Kohler Choreograph wall panels. - Staircase: We spruced up the staircase leading down to the lower level with patterned vinyl flooring and a matching trim color. - Storage: We gave them a separate storage space, with custom shelving for organizing their camping gear, sports equipment and holiday decorations. CUSTOMER REVIEW “We had been talking about remodeling our basement for a long time, but decided to make it happen when my husband was offered a job working remotely. It felt like the right time for us to have a real home office where we could separate our work lives from our home lives. We wanted the area to feel open, light-filled, and modern – not an easy task for a previously dark and cold basement! One of our favorite parts was when our designer took us on a 3D computer design tour of our basement. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this could be our basement!?!’ It was so fun to see how our designer was able to take our wish list and ideas from my Pinterest board, and turn it into a practical design. We were sold after seeing the design, and were pleasantly surprised to see that Kowalske was less costly than another estimate.” – Stephanie, homeowner

Photo of a mid-sized transitional walk-out basement in Seattle with grey walls, laminate floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

This used to be a completely unfinished basement with concrete floors, cinder block walls, and exposed floor joists above. The homeowners wanted to finish the space to include a wet bar, powder room, separate play room for their daughters, bar seating for watching tv and entertaining, as well as a finished living space with a television with hidden surround sound speakers throughout the space. They also requested some unfinished spaces; one for exercise equipment, and one for HVAC, water heater, and extra storage. With those requests in mind, I designed the basement with the above required spaces, while working with the contractor on what components needed to be moved. The homeowner also loved the idea of sliding barn doors, which we were able to use as at the opening to the unfinished storage/HVAC area.

I designed and assisted the homeowners with the materials, and finish choices for this project while working at Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths. Our client (and my former professor at OSU) wanted to have her basement finished. CCKB had competed a basement guest suite a few years prior and now it was time to finish the remaining space. She wanted an organized area with lots of storage for her fabrics and sewing supplies, as well as a large area to set up a table for cutting fabric and laying out patterns. The basement also needed to house all of their camping and seasonal gear, as well as a workshop area for her husband. The basement needed to have flooring that was not going to be damaged during the winters when the basement can become moist from rainfall. Out clients chose to have the cement floor painted with an epoxy material that would be easy to clean and impervious to water. An update to the laundry area included replacing the window and re-routing the piping. Additional shelving was added for more storage. Finally a walk-in closet was created to house our homeowners incredible vintage clothing collection away from any moisture. LED lighting was installed in the ceiling and used for the scones. Our drywall team did an amazing job boxing in and finishing the ceiling which had numerous obstacles hanging from it and kept the ceiling to a height that was comfortable for all who come into the basement. Our client is thrilled with the final project and has been enjoying her new sewing area.

©Finished Basement Company
This is an example of a large transitional look-out basement in Denver with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace and beige floor.

Large finished basement in Pennington, NJ. This unfinished space was transformed into a bright, multi-purpose area which includes laundry room, additional pantry storage, multiple closets and expansive living spaces. Sherwin Williams Rhinestone Gray paint, white trim throughout, and COREtec flooring provides beauty and durability.

Beautiful transitional basement renovation with entertainment area, kitchenette and dining table. Modern and comfortable with a neutral beige and grey palette.

Large transitional walk-out basement in Chicago with grey walls, vinyl floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and grey floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized eclectic walk-out basement in Denver with grey walls, vinyl floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and multi-coloured floor.

2nd Family Room
Inspiration for a small transitional walk-out basement in Chicago with grey walls and carpet.

Nichole Kennelly Photography
This is an example of a large country fully buried basement in Kansas City with grey walls, light hardwood floors and grey floor.

Traditional look-out basement in DC Metro with grey walls, dark hardwood floors and a game room.

Large arts and crafts basement in Salt Lake City with grey walls and carpet.

Photographer: Marcel Page Photography; Cabinets by Seville Cabinetry
Inspiration for a large contemporary walk-out basement in Chicago with grey walls and porcelain floors.

©Finished Basement Company
Inspiration for an expansive contemporary look-out basement in Denver with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and brown floor.

A custom designed pool table is flanked by open back sofas, allowing guests to easy access to conversation on all sides of this open plan lower level. Heidi Zeiger

Inspired by sandy shorelines on the California coast, this beachy blonde floor brings just the right amount of variation to each room. With the Modin Collection, we have raised the bar on luxury vinyl plank. The result is a new standard in resilient flooring. Modin offers true embossed in register texture, a low sheen level, a rigid SPC core, an industry-leading wear layer, and so much more.